Climate Ready is a new competitive, merit-based grants program that provides grants from $50,000 to $5 million for the costs of research and development, proof-of-concept and early-stage commercialisation activities in eligible projects.

The program will support projects for innovations designed to address the impacts of climate change which may include:

• water recycling, waste recovery or small-scale renewable energy technologies
• technologies that reduce the energy used by appliances or increase the efficiency of industrial processes
• products, processes or services to monitor emissions or power use
• using biotechnology or nanotechnology to address the effects of climate change on people and the environment
• informations systems for businesses or consumers to compare the carbon footprints of different activities
• green building materials that make homes more energy efficient.

Round 1 closes on Thursday 4 September 2008.

Outcomes - results of research in the real world has been produced by the Australian Research Council to showcase examples of Australian research that are making a difference in our lives right now. The 2008 publication is available online.

The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Green Paper canvasses options and preferred approaches on issues, such as which industry sectors will be covered and how emission caps will be set. It also includes ways to address the impacts on Australian households, emissions-intensive trade-exposed industries and other strongly affected sectors. Submissions are invited on or by Wednesday 10 September 2008.

The Innovation 2008 CEO Summit will examine the role of the chair, directors and chief executive in creating innovative organisations. The Summit is presented in association with the Innovation Leadership Forum.

VISTECH's Bridging Victorian-Israeli Research & Development Collaborations' fifth round of funding may contribute 50% of the joint eligible research and development costs up to a maximum of $500,000 (US$) for science and technology R&D projects. Applications close Friday 5 September 2008.

InnoFuture 2008 includes the latest in business innovation, models and tools and trends in sustainable innovation. The two-day conference will be staged in Melbourne in September.

From mid-August companies can take advantage of five more Australian Securities & Investments Commission forms being available online. Those forms will be for a change of a company name, reservation of a name, name reservation extension, voluntary deregistration of a company and lodgement of financial statements and reports.

The overall winner of the 2008 John Heine Entrepreneurial Challenge will win $10,000 in start-up funds and  the right to represent Australia at the Global Moot Corp Competition in the United States. The JHEC is a venture-pitching challenge for university-based teams of up to five people. Each team presents a business plan  to a group of venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and CEOs. Entries open Friday 8 August.

Companies can apply for grants up to $5 million under the first round of the $30 million South Australia Innovation and Investment Fund - Industry Development Program. Aimed at boosting manufacturing in South Australia with innovative job-creation projects, this program was set up by the Federal and South Australian governments in response to the closure of Mitsubishi's Tonsley Park assembly plant. Applications close on Friday 17 October 2008.

GreenTECH 08 has a limited amount of free admission tickets for its show in Sydney on 7-8 November 2008. GreenTECH will showcase a range of new ideas and innovations relating to green building, design and technology - including the Eco House of the Future Competition, 100% Green By Design, My Big Green Idea, Smart House Zone, Green Inventors and SRD ChangeX.

The review of Australia's Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) program makes recommendations in relation to:

• funding and frequency of selection rounds
• objectives of the program
• broadening participation
• co-funding arrangements
• program administration
• evaluation arrangements
• the positioning and integration of CRCs within the National Innovation System.

Comments on the report can be emailed to innovationreview@innovation.gov.au. Comments should be limited to no more than two pages and must be received by COB 31 August 2008.

AusIndustry Customer Story

A $52,000 Commercialising Emerging Technologies (COMET) grant set the groundwork for Tasmanian company Point Duty to set up a cyber crime virtual precinct in Australia. This system helps authorities track down internet criminals using anonymous file sharing systems to hide their identities and activities.